A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1315 The vast sea and sky
Ride out of Youzhou.

Going south along the canal, Wu Huaiyu did not feel any grievances or complaints along the way. Instead, he felt a sense of exhilaration as if the sea was vast and the sky was full of fish leaping and birds flying.

The emperor finally let him go.

The wind blowing on your face feels free, and the air is sweet.

"Ah Lang, why don't we take a boat? It's fast and comfortable." The attendant Wu Ping'an said. This young knight was a child of the Wu family. He was selected for training because he was smart and clever since he was a child. He studied literature and martial arts. Now he is sixteen years old, but he is tall and mighty, and skilled in archery and horse riding.

"It's a nice autumn day, and it's nice to ride a horse."

Going south from Youzhou, there is the Grand Canal, and there are also water stations and post boats along the way.

But Wu Huaiyu still rode out of Youzhou directly on horseback.

In the blink of an eye, Youzhou City was left far behind, moving farther and farther away, and finally disappearing on the horizon.

He ran dozens of miles in one breath.

Rest in a woodland area, boil a pot of water and make a pot of tea.

Brick tea is added with salt, cheese, etc. Wu Huaiyu didn’t like this kind of tea before, but when he is outside, this kind of tea can replenish physical strength and spirit very well.

Especially after strenuous exercise and sweating a lot, a cup of strong tea with salt, sugar and milk can sweep away all the fatigue.

Today's tea feels especially sweet and rich.

Wu Ping'an came close to Huaiyu and complained in a low voice, "I really don't understand why Alang was dismissed and demoted despite his hard work and great contributions. It's really unfair."

Wu Huaiyu smiled at this upright boy, "Thunder and rain are all grace from the emperor, don't talk nonsense, boy."

"But on what basis? They say rewards are given and punishments are given. How can someone be punished and demoted for his merits?"

"What do you know, kid?" He shook his head.

It was indeed good of Li Shimin to let him leave Luzon at this time. Think about Liu Li and Zhang Liang, they would have died.

In the past few years, the emperor has been trying to keep him under his watch, but he has always been worried about him. Now the emperor is in poor health, so he took this opportunity to clean the carbuncle in advance.

In the end, the emperor only killed Liu Li, but let Wu Huaiyu return to Luzon. I guess he must have been conflicted about this. If he let him go, he might be a hidden danger, but considering his contributions over the years, the emperor couldn't bear to do it.

Wu Huaiyu left very happily without any hesitation. He was worried that if he hesitated, Li Shimin might want to kill him.

"In fact, don't just look at the present. Think about how much I have gained from serving Your Majesty over the past eighteen years."

Eighteen years ago, Wu Huaiyu came down from Mount Zhongnan.
A young Taoist priest who had just come down from the mountain,
The Wu family was just a family of small military officers in the Yuanzong Imperial Guard. Old Wu had already retired, and Huaiyi had just been appointed as a team leader.

And now,

The Wu family has become a new wealthy family and a newly rising aristocratic family.

Although he made many contributions to the Tang Dynasty, the emperor also treated him unfairly. If he were another emperor in another dynasty, someone with his background might not necessarily have the status he has today.

Furthermore,

What's the hurry?

The emperor was not yet fifty, but his health was failing and he had only ten years to live.

Ten years later, Wu Huaiyu was only in his forties. At that time, the crown prince inherited the throne. He was his student. Given his relationship with Cheng Qian, even if he did not return to the court to resume his position as prime minister,
Needless to say, it has great influence on the new dynasty.

Wu Huaiyu naturally had no ambition or greed to usurp the throne, but he certainly wanted to keep the family business he had worked so hard to earn.

It is even human nature to let the Wu family go a step further.

Leaving at this time is actually a good thing, as it means you can finally get away with it safely.

Li Shimin asked Zhangsun Wuji to go to Yangzhou, probably because he wanted him to have a good end, and Li Ji was the prime minister left by the emperor for Cheng Qian.

It is also a representative of the future military.

Li Ji was from the direct lineage of Wagang, not the core Guanlong faction. However, because Li Ji's faction had been suppressed during the Zhenguan period, its strength was not very strong. On the contrary, it was far inferior to the Wagang branch of Wu Huaiyu, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin.

Wu Huaiyu has just left the center and has not been liquidated. There is no need to worry at all. Instead, he should be thankful that he can finally jump out of this quagmire.

The emperor is old, or rather, the emperor is still young but his health is failing, so the emperor is now starting to pave the way for the prince and do some things.

It's not that the emperor is senile. This is just what a father and an emperor should do for his son and the new emperor. Although some things are dark and cruel, if his heart is unstable, the country will be unstable.

If he is not ruthless, the prince may not be able to control the court in the future.

"Ah Lang, do you really want to move the whole family to Luzon? Chang'an is so prosperous. There's really nothing good about Luzon. It's like a Lingnan countryside. Luzon city is not even as good as a small county town under Guangzhou. It's hot, there are many mosquitoes, and it's easy to get malaria.
There are also hurricanes, which come many times a year. Every time they come, houses are blown away, and then there are heavy rains, floods, and seawater backflows..."

Wu Ping'an also spent a lot of time in Luzon with Wu Huaiyu. This Guanzhong kid is not used to Luzon at all.

"Luzon doesn't have spring, summer, autumn and winter, it only has rainy season and dry season. In the Central Plains, it's rainy season from May to October. The rain comes when it's supposed to, sometimes it's sunny and sometimes it's rainy. From October to May of the following year, it's dry season again. It's a little cooler from October to January, but from February to April, it's hot and stuffy, and your skin will be sunburned..."

Wu Huaiyu didn't expect this kid to be so talkative. He had been in Luzon for at least one or two years, but this kid was not used to or liked Luzon at all.

Now that I heard that the Wu family was moving to Luzon, I couldn't help but complain.

Some even said that the imperial court exiled the Wu family.

"Exile your head,"

Luzon is in the cool season during the dry season, which is the most comfortable and pleasant time of the year. It is not so hot or stuffy, and there are not even so many typhoons. Even ants and cockroaches are rare.

For Wu Huaiyu,
He was very willing to take his family to settle down in Luzon, so that the emperor would feel at ease.

But not all the Wu family left.

Brothers and sisters including Huaiyi and Huailiang also stayed in Chang'an.

Even Lao Wu will definitely continue to stay in the countryside of Sanyuan Longqiao. He is almost 80 years old and he certainly doesn't want to travel overseas at such an old age.

In Wu Huaiyu's family, all the married children will stay, and those who are going to get married in the next one or two years will not be taken to Luzon for the time being.

The Wu family was not really confiscated and exiled.
He was only dismissed from the position of prime minister, but he was still the Grand Marshal and still held the title of Luzon Observer.

The Wu family's businesses in Chang'an and the Central Plains are still there.

The eldest brother Chengsi still served as the magistrate of Luoyang, and the second brother Chengye continued to serve as the captain of a thousand cattle and a hundred cavalry.

Except for the third son Chengzhi who has been in Luzon these years, the other seven sons of Huaiyu, from the eldest to the eighth, still stayed in the Central Plains.
It's good to keep a low profile for a few years.
In ten years at most, everything will be fine once Li Shimin passes away.

"It's safe if you don't want to go to Luzon. I'll arrange it for you. Do you have any plans?"

Huaiyu poured herself another cup of tea.

Brick tea with salt, sugar and milk does have a strong taste, but it is also very refreshing.

Wu Huaiyu never hesitated to help those around him, whether they were servants in his home, soldiers and tenants in the manor, or people working in the Wu family's shops and workshops.

As long as they perform well enough, they will have the opportunity to be promoted. And these people will also bring great rewards to the Wu family.

"Ah Lang, can I stay in Central China? I'm really not used to the weather in Luzon."

"Then stay." Wu Huaiyu didn't mind that he wanted to stay. He knew that Wu Ping'an was a very filial child. His parents, brothers and sisters were all at home in Chang'an, and he had just married and had children.

Wu Ping'an was born a slave of the Wu family. His parents were also slaves of the Wu family. Although they performed well later, they were released early. The first release was to become a soldier, and the second release was to become a good man.

Now they are all married men. His father has become the head of a farm of the Wu family. His brothers also work for the Wu family. They are doing quite well.

And for someone like Wu Ping'an, it is also very unusual that he can now follow Wu Huaiyu.

"Do you want to go to the army, or do you plan to work in the local government?" Huaiyu asked again.

"It's all up to Alang to arrange,"

"You participated in the Eastern Expedition this time and were rewarded. I can find you a miscellaneous position first."

Even if one has made meritorious services and received honors, one cannot become an official directly. One must first work for a few years to accumulate sufficient experience before one can take the examination. After passing the examination, one will obtain the status of a casual official. Casual officials must continue to accumulate experience and then pass the examination to be eligible to be appointed as an official.

Unless they are like the brave men like Xue Rengui, Wang Fangyi and others, who were selected from thousands of people on the battlefield and were directly awarded official positions for their great contributions, this is an exception.

But after obtaining the honorary title, even if one cannot be directly appointed as an official, it is no problem to seek a miscellaneous position.

In a county, the internal officials are only the county magistrate, the county magistrate, the chief clerk, the county lieutenant and the professor.
As for miscellaneous positions, they were basically the non-official officials, such as recorder, prefect, historian, assistant, city magistrate, city chancellor, accountant, warehouse historian, warehouse supervisor, village head, and neighborhood head.

There are also miscellaneous positions, which are divided into four categories: wielding the sword, being the prison wardens, interrogating, and being the honest and upright.

To put it simply, miscellaneous positions are mostly multiple positions, and miscellaneous positions are mostly military positions, such as the head of the third shift and the head of the prison.

As a good and honest man with honors in office, it is relatively easy to arrange miscellaneous duties for him.

In the Tang Dynasty, a county with a population of more than 10,000 households usually had only five eunuchs, but there were nearly a hundred miscellaneous positions and more than 50 miscellaneous duties. Only in this way could a county with a population of more than 10,000 households operate normally.

In addition to a large number of sexual labor, the core affairs of a county are population and land, and taxation is the most important.
As one of the two counties in the capital city of Chang'an, Wannian County was responsible for arresting thieves and maintaining order.

In other counties, there were only two or three Caos in one county, but in Chang'an and Wannian counties, there were six Caos. Not only were there all six Caos, but there were also six county lieutenants, one of whom was specifically responsible for catching thieves.

The person who actually manages public security in Wannian County is a county lieutenant in charge of law among the six lieutenants. Under him are relevant personnel of law, from judicial officers to judicial assistants and historians, and below them are the bad guys, village heads, defense guards, and bad guys.

The judicial officer of Wannian County was also an official, but in counties other than Jing County, all officials below the county lieutenant were clerks.

Wu Huaiyu can now directly arrange a judicial history for Wu Ping'an.

There is a fixed number of officials and specific positions.

If the county lieutenant in charge of law in Wannian County is equivalent to the deputy county magistrate, then the judicial officer is the police chief, and the several assistants and historians below him are section chiefs and deputy section chiefs.

As for the next Bad Leader, he is the captain of the auxiliary police.

The warden is the chief of the prison, and the ones who hold the knife, inquire about matters, and are honest are all captains in charge of their own areas.

In Chang'an and Wannian counties, the legal departments had five judicial assistants and ten judicial historians, with a large number of personnel.

There would be no problem for Wu Huaiyu to arrange a judicial assistant for Wu Ping'an.

"Can I be a judicial assistant in Wannian County? If I want to be a judicial assistant in Ji County, it should be a stretch, right?" Wu Ping'an was a little surprised.

In counties like Sanyuan and Xianyang, there were only two county lieutenants, four judicial assistants, and eight historians.

The judicial assistant of Wannian County was still an official without rank, but it was a county in the capital after all, so the judicial assistant had great power.

The five assistants and ten historians all have status.

"You don't want to be a bad guy, do you? That kind of bad guy is far inferior to a judicial officer."

Although the "Bad Leader" sounds very impressive, he actually has a very low status. He runs around the streets all day and manages a group of bad guys, who are actually a group of auxiliary police officers. They are just useless people and an indispensable group of people in the local government.

But if you do this, you won't have any chance of advancement and will be walking around on the streets your whole life.

In contrast, people holding miscellaneous positions such as judicial assistant and historian had the opportunity to pass the examination for promotion in the early Tang Dynasty. If they were lucky, they could be promoted to the inner ranks.

Officials promoted from the non-official ranks accounted for a large proportion in the early Tang Dynasty, at least much more than those admitted through the imperial examinations.

For Wu Ping'an, who was born into a family of slaves, although he won several honors in this Eastern Expedition, he was still far from becoming an official.

To have a chance to work in the Wannian County Court and start directly as a judicial assistant is already a step to heaven.

Back then, Wu Huaiyu himself started out as a money-catching official in Sanyuan County. He was a temporary worker outside the official staff, far inferior to the Wannian Fazuo.

"Work hard. The capital is a place where people are trained. As long as you have the ability and make achievements, you will not be buried."

Wu Huaiyu patted him on the shoulder.

Wu Ping'an expressed his gratitude excitedly.

Wu Huaiyu continued to drink tea. Although he was going to Luzon soon and might have to stay there for ten years or even longer, he would not ignore the affairs of the Central Plains.

Sending Wu Ping'an to Wannian County to be a judicial assistant was just a simple matter, but this minor official position had a lot of real power.

If there are more arrangements like this, it will be of great help.

From one station to another,
It only took Wu Huaiyu half a month to return to Chang'an from Youzhou.

It was already late October.

Fan Xuanfu and his family all came to greet him, and Wu Huaiyu's letter about coming back had been delivered several days in advance.

"After receiving your letter, I started to make arrangements at home. My luggage has been almost packed and I can leave for Luzon at any time."

Fan Xuanfu had no objection to his family moving to Luzon.

The family chatted for a while, and Huaiyu went to take a shower and change clothes to wash away his tiredness.

Fan Xuanfu personally rubbed his back and washed his hair. Huaiyu enjoyed his wife's tenderness while explaining the whole story to her.

"That's a good thing indeed. It will save me from feeling uneasy in Chang'an."

Xuanfu then learned that the emperor had killed Prime Ministers Liu Li and Zhang Liang in Youzhou, and demoted Xiao Yu, Yang Shidao, Wu Huaiyu, Zhang Sun Wuji, and Li Ji.
"Just be safe and sound,"

"Well, this time, I may never come back to Chang'an."

"That's fine. We'll go wherever Alang is."

"Then Dalang and the others will stay. Is that okay?"

Huaiyu pinched her and said, "Don't worry, nothing can happen. Isn't Dalang also the son-in-law of His Majesty?"

Fan Xuanfu lay on his back, "If Runniang knew that our family moved to Luzon, she would be very happy."

(End of this chapter)